does this employment number blunt mitt romney's debate momentum? and do you think the white house is going phew, relieved at this? >> if not popping champagne bottles. two-ways in which this number was so useful to the white house yesterday. it got the unemployment rate below 8% which has been kind of a line of demarkation. the romney folks have made a big deal about it being above 8% for so many months all through president obama's tenure. the other thing is the timing. i mean, all the reviews from the debate has been so negative for president obama. and this just automatically changed the subject. at 8:30 yesterday morning we stopped talk thing about the debates and started talking about improvement in the jobless numbers >> yes. david with respect to the conspiracy theorists out there, mitt romney is not latched onto all threat rick. but could all this talk, this talk, could it damage him in the long run? i mean, in some ways all it does is just highlight the fact we're talking below 8%. >> absolutely, alex. i think that the romney campaign didn't respond to that because they d

romney said the day after the debate about his 47% line. here it is. >> clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you're going to say something that doesn't come out right. in this case i said something that's completely wrong. this whole campaign is about the 100%. >> okay. here's a two-part question. first part to you, ed. was this going to be his answer had he gotten a chance in the debate but he didn't get that chance so he had to trot this out in the first post-debate interview? >> yes. i think he was. i think he probably was going to be ready with that response. that was a really damaging comment on that hidden video about the 47%. the obama campaign has really been pounding him. i think he wanted to sort of address it. this is the way to do that so he can move on. the other thing i think this plays a little bit into the obama's campaign's approach which is to say he's all over the map. he says one thing, he says another thing. they already hit him on a couple of other remarks from the debate on that line.

. romney in wednesday's debate. meanwhile, new data spurring a firestorm. conspiracy theorists openly suggested the white house manipulated the numbers. former ge ceo led the crowd with this quote, unbelievable job numbers. these chicago guys will do anything. can't debate, so change numbers. he did not back down in an appearance on msnbc's "hardball" last night. >> i have no evidence to prove that. i just raised the question. >> you didn't raise the question. you said, these chicago guys will do anything so they changed the numbers. do you want to take that back? >> no. >> this was an assertion, jimmying with the number, corruption here, infiltration, getting to the -- it's not funny, jack. you're talking about the president of the united states playing with the burp oh of labor statistics numbers. this is nixon stuff. do you want to take back the charge? >> i don't want to take back one word in that tweet. >> joining me now for a close look at the jobs number, and a broiling controversy, chief economist for vice president biden and senior fellow on budget policy and priorities. jare

election, and new tonight, strong debate from both the president and mitt romney, campaign team. first, here is the campaign adviser, robert gibbs. >> it takes a long time to dig out of this avalanche of bad decisions that were before the obama presidency, one thing we see is clear, mitt romney's plan is to go back to a failed economic theory of tax cuts for the rich, despite the fact he deny attend tax cuts, and the math. and let's go to war with sesame street but give wall street a big, wet, kiss, that is call what got us into this mess, we spent four years digging out of it. >>> meanwhile, gingrich saying the numbers were good for the president, but the overall picture is still gloomy. >> i think it was a significant help to the president. imagine coming out at 8.2 following the debate, i mean people would have entered the week saying it is close to the end. so it is part of the whole process, the campaign will go down to the end. it will be one of the most interesting campaigns in american history, i think you will see it go back and forth somewhat. on friday, the imf said probably

president's debate in just a moment. but first, here is the gallop daily tracking poll, mitt romney closing the gap on president obama, who still leads by three points, 49-46, and taking to the tv air waves, the romney camp claiming the president's plan will increase taxes, here is the new ad. >> president obama continues to distort mitt romney's economic plan. the latest? not telling the truth about mitt romney's plan, it doesn't add up, abc news, mostly fiction, even the obama campaign admitted it was not true. >> okay, stipulatelated. it won't be near 5 trillion. >> obama's plan? $4,000 more in taxes on the middle class, we can't afford four more years. >>> from the obama campaign, an ad targeting mitt romney's plan, and calling it just an act. >> why was romney so dishonest about his plan? the massive new tax cut for millionaires means higher tax cuts for the middle class, and aarp says romney's plan undermines medicare by turning it into a voucher. we have real challenges to meet. children to educate, a class to rebuild. >> one more note within this past hour, the president lef